Luke, one of the other pastors at Malvern Hill, and I argue often. We do not have the kind of arguments that lead to anger (usually), but the kind of healthy arguments that make us better and we hope help us to serve our church more faithfully. Recently we were discussing an upcoming round of …
It would be difficult to not appreciate and respect J. I. Packer for his contributions to God’s kingdom. I rarely read something from Packer that does not impact me. Today I read an article about Packer’s protest against the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster in 2002 over the issue of blessing same-sex unions. Of course homosexuality …
Sometime back a member of our church passed along a worn copy of E.M. Bounds’ book, Preacher and Prayer. Bounds is known for his emphases on prayer and his With Christ in the School of Prayer was one of the first books on prayer I ever read. As for the current book, it laid in my stack of …
Empathy is the the feeling that you share in another person’s experiences, emotions, or feelings. During times of great loss or trouble, little is as comforting as an empathetic friend. When a young woman lost a child late in pregnancy, she was comforted by her mother who had also lost a child late in pregnancy. …
Some of the Bible’s teachings are hard to accept. In fact, some people find many of the Bible’s teachings to be unpalatable and even offensive. In our historical ignorance, we often beleive that these criticisms of God’s word are new. In fact, many who would seek to alter God’s word do so with the false …
I have lost count of how many times I have been warned, “Do not sacrifice your family on the altar of ministry.” I want to encourage you not to sacrifice your ministry on the altar of your family. I do not deny that many pastors have lost their families because the church became their mistress, …
There is no shortage of information on the internet to help you “claim your victory in Christ.” Often the victory that is promoted fits more within a prosperity gospel theology. But, victory in Christ is not unique to the health and wealth movement. Christus Victor is a theological concept that is found at least as far …
There are lots of great links for you to look at today. A Clean House and a Wasted Life— Tim Challies has written a great post that should be encouraging for every wife and mother in the world: You cannot have perfect order and perfect productivity. You cannot have a home that is warm and full …
Theology. Yes, it matters, and yes you are a theologian. Everyone is a theologian, the only real question is whether or not you are a good theologian. Theology is a compound word made of two Greek words theos (God) and the suffix ology (which means knowledge or study of), so theology is the study of …
On Tuesday, February 26, 2008 Starbucks closed all of its American stores at 5:30 PM so that employees nationwide could receive a three hour retraining of sorts on the intricacies of making the perfect cup of espresso. Customers were turned away at the door as employees were trained and had their skills refined. CEO Howard Shultz …